Khamzat Chimaev had been trying hard to get a fight for the past few months, but it seems no Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight or Middleweight was willing to tango at the time. Neil Magny, however, was down to take on “Borz” but the feeling apparently wasn’t mutual.
In the end, Chimaev managed to secure himself a huge fight against No. 3 ranked Leon Edwards, which is set to headline an upcoming “Fight Night” event on Dec. 19, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Upon catching wind of the news, Magny was not pleased with the fact that Khamzat was willing to face “Rocky” but not him.
The talented 170-pounder has a theory as to why.
“The only thing I can think of that caused this fight not to go through is his team thought that was a better matchup for him,” said Magny during a recent interview on The Ariel Helwani MMA Show.
“I am not going to sit there and toot my own horn and say that fighting the No. 8 guy is a better deal that fighting a No. 3 guy, but I am pretty sure his team might have thought that Leon Edwards was the easier fight for him. He matched up better with Leon Edwards than he would against me.”
Chimaev, though, did accept Magny’s challenge to fight in December but UFC matchmakers obviously weren’t digging that fight, opting to go with Edwards a few weeks later.
“The fact that he was willing to fight everyone else but me, I think that is pretty obvious at this point that his team and himself believe that the easier match for him was Leon Edwards,” he added. “In my opinion it’s a no-brainer. I mean, the proof is in the pudding. How much more do I have to say for this man to step up and take this fight?”
Magny last competed this past August, defeating Robbie Lawler at UFC Vegas 8 to earn his third straight win. As for the fight between Chimaev and Edwards, taking out “Borz” could be just what “Rocky” needs to finally get his much-desired title fight.
For Chimaev, defeating the No. 3 Welterweight in the world should silence any and all critics who feel that the undefeated (9-0, 3-0 UFC) combatant was all hype.
